Estuary Restoration Act of 2000
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 - Establishes an estuary restoration program under which the Secretary of the Army may carry out estuary habitat restoration projects. Sets forth selection criteria, including: (1) Estuary Habitat Restoration Council recommendations; (2) scientific merit of the project; and (3) whether the project will increase Federal, State, and local cooperation, and foster public-private partnerships. Grants priority to projects that: (1) use innovative technology; or (2) occur within a watershed in which there is a program that addresses pollution sources or other activities that would re-impair the restored habitat. Sets forth cost-sharing provisions. Permits a non-governmental organization to serve as the non-Federal interest. (Sec. 5) Establishes the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council, which shall: (1) review project proposals; and (2) develop and periodically review a national restoration strategy. (Sec. 6) Directs the Council to establish an advisory board. (Sec. 7) Directs the Council to develop an estuary restoration strategy which shall provide for the integration of estuary restoration plans, programs, and partnerships. (Sec. 8) Directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce to develop an estuary habitat restoration project monitoring database and related monitoring data standards. (Sec. 9) Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec.10) Authorizes FY 2001 through 2005 appropriations for: (1) technical assistance for estuary restoration activities; and (2) database monitoring. Obligates administrative funds for the Council and advisory board. (Sec. 11) Directs the Secretary to undertake surveys to identify and map dredged material disposal sites. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a two-year study on the efficacy of bioremediation technology on: (1) low-level petroleum hydrocarbon contamination from recreational boat bilges and stormwater discharges; (2) non-point petroleum hydrocarbon discharges; and (3) use as a first response tool for petroleum hydrocarbon spills.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on September 12, 2000. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 13, 2000: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 106th Congress (1999-00), 580 of the 9,158 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 6.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
WAYNE GILCHREST (R-MD) introduced it on May 12, 1999, and 122 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 67 Democrats, 54 Republicans, 1 independent.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 12, 1999, 10030 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 9540 days ago, on September 13, 2000.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 106th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2001 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers